The Great Province of Abash as Middle India on the Mainland

Abash is a very large Province that constitutes the Middle India on the mainland.

It has 6 great Kings with 6 great Kingdoms.

Of these 6 Kings, 3 are Christians and 3 are Saracens.

But the greatest of all the 6 is a Christian, and all the others are subject to him.{1}

The Christians in this country bear 3 marks on the face:

• one from the forehead to the middle of the nose
• one on either cheek.

These marks are made with a hot iron, and form part of their baptism.

After that they have been baptised with water, these 3 marks are made, partly as a token of gentility, and partly as the completion of their baptism.

There are also Jews in the country, and these bear 2 marks, one on either cheek.

The Saracens have but one on the forehead extending halfway down the nose.

The Great King lives in the middle of the country, the Saracens towards Aden.

St. Thomas the Apostle preached in this region. After he had converted the people he went away to the province of Maabar where he died; and there his body lies.

The people here are excellent soldiers. They go on horseback, for they have horses in plenty.

Well they may; for they are in daily war with the Soldan of Aden, and with the Nubians, and a variety of other nations.{3} I will tell you a famous story of what befel in the year of Christ, 1288.

This Christian King is the Lord of the Province of Abash.

• He declared his intention to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to adore the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus.

But his Barons said that for him to go in person would be to run too great a risk.

They recommended him to send some bishop or prelate in his stead. So the King assented to the counsel which his Barons gave, and despatched a certain Bishop of his, a man of very holy life.

The Bishop then departed and travelled by land and by sea till he arrived at the Holy Sepulchre, and there he paid it such honour as Christian man is bound to do, and presented a great offering on the part of his King who had sent him in his own stead.

When he had done all that behoved him, he set out again and travelled day by day till he got to Aden. Now that is a Kingdom wherein Christians are held in great detestation, for the people are all Saracens, and their enemies unto the death.

So when the Soldan of Aden heard that this man was a Christian and a Bishop, and an envoy of the Great King of Abash, he had him seized and demanded of him if he were a Christian?

To this the Bishop replied that he was a Christian indeed. The Soldan then told him that unless he would turn to the Law of Mahommet he should work him great shame 429and dishonour. The Bishop answered that they might kill him ere he would deny his Creator.

When the Soldan heard that he waxed wroth, and ordered that the Bishop should be circumcised. So they took and circumcised him after the manner of the Saracens. And then the Soldan told him that he had been thus put to shame in despite to the King his master. And so they let him go.

The Bishop was sorely cut to the heart for the shame that had been wrought him, but he took comfort because it had befallen him in holding fast by the Law of Our Lord Jesus Christ; and the Lord God would recompense his soul in the world to come.

So when he was healed he set out and travelled by land and by sea till he reached the King his Lord in the Kingdom of Abash. And when the King beheld him, he welcomed him with great joy and gladness. And he asked him all about the Holy Sepulchre.

The Bishop related all about it truly, the King listening the while as to a most holy matter in all faith. But when the Bishop had told all about Jerusalem, he then related the outrage done on him by the Soldan of Aden in the King’s despite.

Great was the King’s wrath and grief when he heard that; and it so disturbed him that he was like to die of vexation. And at length his words waxed so loud that all those round about could hear what he was saying.

He vowed that he would never wear crown or hold kingdom if he took not such condign vengeance on the Soldan of Aden that all the world should ring therewithal, even until the insult had been well and thoroughly redressed.

He straightway caused the array of his horse and foot to be mustered, and great numbers of elephants with castles to be prepared to accompany them;{4} and when all was ready he set out with his army and advanced till he entered the Kingdom of Aden in great force.

The Kings of this province of Aden were aware of the King’s advance against them.

They went to fight him at the strongest pass on their frontier with a great force of armed men.

• There they had a fierce battle.

But the 3 Kings of the Saracens could not stand against the Christians, for they are not such good soldiers as the Christians are.

So the Saracens were defeated, with a lot of them slain.

The King of Abash entered the Kingdom of Aden with all his host.

The Saracens made various sallies on them in the narrow defiles, but it availed nothing.

They were always beaten and slain.

When the King had greatly wasted and destroyed the kingdom of his enemy, and had remained in it more than a month with all his host, continually slaying the Saracens, and ravaging their lands (so that great numbers of them perished), he thought it time to return to his own kingdom, which he could now do with great honour.

He could tarry no longer, nor could he, as he was aware, do more injury to the enemy; for he would have had to force a way by still stronger passes, where, in the narrow defiles, a handful of men might cause him heavy loss.

So he quitted the enemy’s Kingdom of Aden and began to retire.

He with his host got back to their own country of Abash in great triumph and rejoicing; for he had well avenged the shame cast on him and on his Bishop for his sake.

For they had slain so many Saracens, and so wasted and harried the land, that ’twas something to be astonished at. And in sooth ’twas a deed well done!

For it is not to be borne that the dogs 431of Saracens should lord it over good Christian people! Now you have heard the story.{5}

This province abounds greatly in all kinds of victual.

The people live on flesh and rice and milk and sesame.

They have plenty of elephants, not that they are bred in the country, but they are brought from the Islands of the other India.

They have however many giraffes, which are produced in the country; besides bears, leopards, lions in abundance, and many other passing strange beasts.

They have also numerous wild asses; and cocks and hens the most beautiful that exist, and many other kind of birds.

For instance, they have ostriches that are nearly as big as asses; and plenty of beautiful parrots, with apes of sundry kinds, and baboons and other monkeys that have countenances all but human.{6}

There are numerous cities and villages in this province of Abash, and many merchants; for there is much trade to be done there.

The people also manufacture very fine buckrams and other cloths of cotton.